SLA abducts 4 youths, another disappears in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 November 2006, 12:53 GMT]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) motorcycle brigade and collaborating paramilitary cadres in white van have abducted four youths in Jaffna district within twelve hours from 6:00 p.m Wednesday, according to complaints registered by the relatives and parents of the victims at the Jaffna Human Rights Commissison offices Thursday, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Another youth has gone missing after last seen at an SLA check post in Inuvil Jaffna.

Armed members of the SLA motorbike brigade and paramilitaries have also been accused of causing injuries to parents and relatives, sources said.

SLA troopers on field bikes along with paramilitary cadres in a White van arrested Baskaran Pirathaban, 23, an Auto rickshaw owner, Wednesday midnight at his home at Manipay Road in Inuvil west, sources said.

Pirathapan's mother, Kamalavathy, 52, was shot and seriously injured by the SLA troopers. She was rushed to Tellipalai Government hospital, her relatives said.

Nadarasa Narmathan, 20, a technical college student was arrested at home in Chunnakam east Wednesday around 7:30 p.m by the SLA troopers on field bikes and White Van paramilitary, relatives said in the complaint with HRC.

In the third abduction, Sivananthan Sritharan 30, a carpenter of Kerniyady in Kokuvil was arrested by SLA Wednesday night at his house in Kerniyady area.

Thirugnanasampanthar Ramanan, 23, a recent returnee from Malaysia, disappeared Wednesday around 4:00 p.m after being last seen interrogated at the SLA check post at Inuvil when he was on his way to Mallakam.

He did not return from the SLA check post and no information is available about his whereabouts, his relatives said.